Karate Kid
by Alice Meri Fox
Summary: When Dre moved to China, he felt lost in a world different than what he had ever known. Beaten by bullies from school, he is rescued by the mantenance crew from his apartment building. Mr. Han and Meiling give in to need and necessity to help Dre fight back against his bullies at a tournament not long away.
1. Chapter 1

Karate Kid

A/n: Almost everything said between Mr. Han and Meiling is in Chinese. I can't get the stupid italics going so you'll just have to read it normal.

Meiling Miyagi looked from one side of the small room to the other. The American born woman was pleased with her progress, and hoped her friend and co-worker would agree. Half of the room was clean and organized and the other half had few things to be put away. She smiled a little and resumed her work. Mr. Han would be back from getting lunch any moment and she wanted to be done before he got there.

She was just finishing the other half of the room when Mr. Han walked into the workroom. "You have finished?"

"I told you I would," the slender woman said as she pushed the med kit into place on the counter. She turned to him, brushing her brown hair out of her face. "Do you want me to prepare that for you, or are you doing it yourself?"

"I will do it," he said calmly as he crossed over to the microwave. Outside a few boys ran into the workman's storage area behind the apartment building they worked at. Mr. Han looked outside a moment and then turned back to their lunch.

"What is it?"

"Just boys playing in the storage area."

Meiling shrugged and continued to wipe off what little counter-space they had for their meals. "Don't you remember what we learned? No weakness! No pain! No mercy!" "Cheng, stop!" Meiling looked over to Mr. Han and they both quietly exited the room. The smaller side door was unlocked and they quietly made their way through.

A boy in an orange shirt was standing over another boy, about to deliver what looked to be a knockout punch. Mr. Han grabbed to boy's wrist and bent it down. "Go home."

He pushed the boy away calmly and turned around to the fallen boy and Meiling, who was already at his side. "Are you okay?" The boy simply shook his head and waved his arm. As Mr. Han caught a foot that had been aimed for his head, Meiling repeated her inquiry in English.

The boy looked up at her blearily but nodded. She let out a sigh. "I'm just going to see how bad it is. If it hurts, you need to let me know." She gently ran her hands over his arm and torso, assessing the damage the other boy did. The boy simply lay there and reacted to her touch as he watched Mr. Han deal with the group of boys in uniforms. "What is your name?"

"Dre Parker."

Mr. Han repeated his command to go home before returning to pick up the fallen boy. Meiling looked to Mr. Han and saw his nod. She hurried ahead of them to clean up the cot area and lay a sheet over it. Mr. Han laid Dre down and helped him remove his shirt, as Meiling retrieved the jiaofa set.

Dre watched as she used the fire to encircle the cups and place them on his arm. "What's up with the light bulbs, Mr. Han?" Mr. Han shushed him and took her place and continued, taking the fire in his hands and gently rubbing it onto the boy's chest. When he was finished he extinguished the fire and removed the cups. "I thought you were just a maintenance man."

"You think only with your eyes, so you are easy to fool."

Dre moved a little. "It doesn't hurt."

"Jiaofa," Meiling said as she put the cups away. "Ancient Chinese healing."

Dre turned back to Mr. Han. "How'd you do that out there? You, like, didn't even punch them. They beat each other up."

"When fighting angry, blind men, best to just stay out of the way," Mr. Han said as Mĕi-miào-de moved the kit to the sink.

"So where'd you learn kung fu?"

"From father." He followed Meiling and grabbed a glass.

"Have you ever taught anybody?"

"Meiling."

"Would you teach me?"

"Depends," Mr. Han said pouring a fourth of a glass of citrus water.

"On what?" Dre put his shirt back on.

"Reason." He filled the rest of the cup with water from a pitcher.

"How about to kick somebody's ass?"

Mr. Han and Meiling looked at him disapprovingly from the mirror. He looked back at them like he didn't care. Meling stepped in as Mr. Han added a bit of powder to the liquid mixture. "The best fights are the ones we avoid."

"What if I wanna avoid getting my ass kicked," Dre asked as Mr. Han moved over to him with the glass.

"Stop saying 'ass,'" Mr. Han commanded as he handed the glass to the boy.

"Sorry." The boy barely sounded sincere before he drank the mixture and grimaced.

Mr. Han took the glass and gathered up the bowls they had used. "Kung fu is for knowledge, defense. Not to make war, but create peace."

"That's definitely not what their taught."

Mr. Han turned back to Dre looking exasperated. "No such thing as bad students, only bad teacher."

"Oh, that's great," Dre said sarcastically standing as Meiling motioned him to do. "Well, I guess we'll just stroll in their school and talk to their teacher."

"Good idea," Mr. Han said as he washed out the cup.

"No, bad idea… If I go in there, I'll get my ass kick…" He stopped when the two adults looked at him. "I'll get beat up."

"You'll get beat up anyway," Meiling said as she folded a towel.

The boy thought for a moment before stepping towards them both. "Will you two go with me?"

Meiling looked to Mr. Han who replied for them. "No, sorry." He placed a gentile hand on Dre's shoulder and led him to the door.

"But, you said it was a good idea."

"For you. Bad idea for me."

"Come on, it's not like either of you are super busy or anything, and I don't even speak Chinese."

"Very sorry," Mr. Han said as he moved Meiling to the side so he could pick up the bedding she had laid down.

"Okay. All right whatever." The boy left disheartened.

Meiling said nothing at first but then looked over to her friend. "You could have helped him."

"Would you have me return to the way I was?"

"June 8th, it will not matter. We both know it." She paused and let him think about it. "If you train him, it may help you as well."

Mr. Han thought for a moment and then opened the door. Dre had not gone far. "Wait!"


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: thanks for reading! Or not reading! Whatever floats your boat.

The next day, the three of them went to the Master Li Kung Fu Training Facility. Upon asking where the Master was they found themselves looking in on a class. One of the students stood over the other with his fist poised to deliver a blow if he got up. "What are you doing?" Master Li was sitting on a bench looking on the fight with a serious face. "Why did you stop?" The boy looked up to him and then back. "Finish!"

The boy delivered the blow to his adversary and stood before his master. "Come here." The boy hesitantly shuffled over. Master Li raised his hand and held it for a moment before he slapped the boy hard.

"Okay, Mr. Han, let's get outta here," Dre said as he tried to leave. Meiling pulled him back.

Master Li commanded the students to stand and they did so quickly. "We do not stop when our enemy is down. No mercy… No mercy in the studio… No mercy in competition… No mercy in life!" Master Li walked around the students as they stood at attention. "Our enemies deserve pain." He reached one of the boys from the previous day, who was looking at the intruding trio. "What are you looking at?"

The boy looked to his master then over at the trio. "He's the one that attacked me."

Master Li turned to look at them and Mr. Han stepped forward, Meiling and Dre following. "We are here to make peace."

"Let your little thing mind himself."

"One to one, no problem… Six to one, too much to ask of anyone."

"I see…" Meiling almost let out a sigh of relief until Master Li spoke to his class. "Prepare for match." The students sat except for the boy, who walked to the middle of the mat.

"Whoa. Mr. Han, does he want us to fight?" Dre looked up at him confused and a little scared.

Meiling stepped forward. "We are not here to fight." She pulled Mr. Han back a bit and began to steer Dre out on her other side.

Master Li caught up with them and walked beside them. "You attack my students and disrespect my studio? You want to leave? Not so easy." Li placed an arm over Mr. Han's chest to stop him.

"Master Li…" Mr. Han tried to remove Li's arm but his hand was grabbed. He grabbed Meiling's arm and held it tight and she gripped Dre's shoulder.

"You three came here. One of you fights now."

Mr. Han's gaze flitted over a poster on the wall for a tournament. "The boy will fight there."

Master Li looked to the poster and laughed, dropping Mr. Han's hand. Mr. Han let go of Meiling who loosened her grip on Dre. "We accept your challenge."

"Please instruct your students to leave the boy alone to train," Meiling said to him.

Master Li nearly glared at her. "Attention! From now on, this little thing is to be left alone until the tournament. Understood?" The class voiced their understanding and Mr. Han took it as their time to leave. Li turned back to them. "If he does not show up for the competition, I will bring pain to him and to you."

Mr. Han left without looking back to Master Li and Meiling followed with Dre. Once they were outside, Dre got curious. "So, that go pretty much how you planned it?"

"There's good news and bad news," Meiling told him as they continued walking to the exit. "Good news is that they promise to leave you alone."

"Really?"

"While you prepare," Mr. Han said looking at him.

"Prepare for what?"

"Tournament. You will fight them all one-on-one."

Dre paused as the adults kept walking. "Huh?" He caught up with them quickly. "So the bad news is now they get to beat me up in public."

"Yes."

"Great. Thanks. Thanks a lot. They're gonna kill me. You saw their kung fu."

"That's not kung fu," Meiling said to him. "That's a bad man teaching them very bad things."

"Well, that bad man teaching very bad things hurt. A lot."

They reached the front gate and paused. Mr. Han turned to Dre. "More good news. I will teach you real kung fu." Mr. Han and Meiling turned and walked away from the gates to lead the way back to the apartment.

"Yes!"


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Han stood by the electrical pole in the courtyard, drilling out a hole. Meiling was sitting on the steps closest to the car and watching him. "Mr. Han?" Dre's confused voice rang through Mr. Han's small home.

"Back here." Mr. Han cleaned out the hole in the pole.

"You know you have a car in your living room, Mr. Han," Dre said as he unzipped his jacket. He let it fall to the ground next to Meiling and walked down to Mr. Han. "Okay, I was thinking about yesterday. I know that I was kind of freaking out about the tournament, but I realized something last night. I'm an athlete." Mr. Han feigned surprise but came out as uninterested. "My number one asset is I'm fast, okay? I'm quick, all right? I'm quick. Got speed. Cat speed." He began dodging imaginary foes. See? I'm quick, yeah? See, and I used to take gymnastics at PAL. That's the Police Athletic League, so check it, right?" he did a few cartwheels punctuated with "Boom! You see that? Boom! You see that? Yeah."

Meiling wasn't paying attention to him. She still stared at the jacket on the ground. Dre didn't notice her lack of attention. "See, my Uncle Remy used to date this Brazilian girl. And he learned jiu jitsu, and he taught some of it to me. And it's like locks and holds and stuff. So, okay, attack me." Dre gestured for Mr. Han to hit him in the shoulder. Meiling turned her attention to the over excited boy as he took Mr. Han's hand and put it on his shoulder. Dre took the hand off of his shoulder and put it into a weak lock. "See that? Feel that?" Mr. Han nodded. "I could break it. I'm choosing not to. It's a pressure lock. Dangerous." He let go of the older man's hand and stepped away from him. "And he also taught me capoeira, so…" Dre swung his arms back and forth along with his body. "You can't touch me, you can't…" He ran into a vase and broke it. Mr. Han raised an eyebrow to him. "That antique?"

Meiling scoffed and looked back to the jacket on the ground. Mr. Han followed her gaze and spoke to Dre. "Pick up your jacket." He turned back to the pole and gently inserted a post.

Dre looked back at it and noticed Meiling's interest in it. "Oh…" He walked over and picked it up. "So, basically, Mr. Han, what I'm trying to say is I've got a good foundation here. You know, like I said, I'm just…" He walked back over, pulling his jacket arms out. "Might not be as hard to teach me as other people, you know?"

"Hang it up," Mr. Han said, pointing to the post.

"Okay." Dre hung up the jacket and began arm stretches. "All right. But now…"

"Take it down."

Dre looked at him confused. "But you just…"

"Take it down." Dre did so. "Put it on." Dre huffed and complied. "Take it off."

"I already did all this," Dre said as he started to complain.

"Take it off."

Dre turned to Meiling. "Mei, can you tell me why I'm doing this?"

"Take it off," she and Mr. Han said together, leaving no room for argument.

Dre did so and Mr. Han continued. "Hang it up." The jacket was hung. "Take it down." It was taken down. "Put it on the ground." It was thrown to the ground. "Pick it up." It was picked up. "Hang up." It was hung again. "Take it down." "Put it on." "Take it off." "Put it on the ground." "Pick it up." "Hang it up." The routine was made.

Later, Mr. Han and Meiling were sitting in chairs enjoying the sun and watching Dre. "Mr. Han? Why do you have a car in your living room?"

"No street parking." Mr. Han pointed to the post in the pole and Dre went back to his routine.

The cycle continued until Mr. Han dismissed Dre for the day. "Was it this bad for you, Mei?"

"No, he had me polish and paint," Meiling said as she walked with him to the apartments. "General house work."

"So I'm going to be working!" Dre sighed disappointedly.

"It's not all bad."

"Yeah, whatever," he said dropping his skateboard to the ground and skating away on it.

Meiling stood there with a small smile on her face before she continued on her way.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day continued much the same. Even in the rain, Dre went through the routine with his jacket; Mr. Han standing over him with an umbrella. Monday came with more rain and Meiling fashioned a stand for the umbrella so Mr. Han could work on his car.

Thursday came and Dre entered Mr. Han's home. "Mr. Han. Mr. Han!" Dre yelled over the sander Mr. Han was using on the door of the car. "May I come in?"

"You may come in," Mr. Han said wiping off the area he sanded. He started the sander again and then stopped it as Dre passed it. "Where's your jacket?" Meiling popped her head out from under the hood.

"I thought… I was warm enough without it."

"Go get it."

"You want me to go all the way back just to get it?"

"Yes. All the way back where you hide it," Mr. Han said not looking at him.

Dre looked at Meiling disbelievingly and she nodded her head to him to get on with it. Dre sighed and went to grab his jacket from where he hid it.

The day continued like the day's previous until Mr. Han looked up from cleaning up a car light. Meiling looked to her friend from underneath the hood. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's not right," Mr. Han said in English.

Dre looked back to Mr. Han. "What? I'm doing it," he said as he continued.

"No," Mr. Han said as he put the tools down. "Something is missing."

"Nothing's missing."

Dre put the jacket on the post and took it back down. "Ah," Mr. Han said taking the jacket from Dre. "You forgot this." He threw the jacket onto the post with a sarcastic smile. "Attitude." Dre looked at him. "Jacket off." The jacket was removed. "Attitude." Dre threw it onto the post with a sarcastic grin. "Yes. That's it."

"Okay, Mr. Han, I get it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated my mom like that. You were right," Dre said looking at Mr. Han whole taking his jacket off. Mr. Han looked back at the post for Dre to continue.

"Put it on the ground."

Dre did as told but before he could continue a voice rang from the front doorway. "Hello?"

"Oh, hey, mom," Dre said walking closer to her, leaving his jacket forgotten on the ground. Meiling brought her head out of the car and smiled at Mrs. Parker. "Did you get the tickets?"

"Yes, I got the tickets. And I got an extra pair for, Mr. Han and Miss Miyagi, too."

"But I didn't say you…" Dre started quietly.

"Dre, stop it," his mother commanded before looking to Meiling and Mr. Han. "Mr. Han, Miss Miyagi, would you like to go with us to the Shi Shi festival?"

Mr. Han looked a little uncomfortable with the question. "No, thank you."

"Too many people," Meiling chimed in from behind her.

"Yeah, mom," Dre agreed with them. "Way too many people."

"Yeah, but I already bought the tickets."

"I don't go," Mr. Han tried to explain.

"Mr. Han, I'm not taking no for an answer," Mrs. Parker said sternly with a smile on her face. "You'll have fun. You need to get out of the house, okay?" She turned to Dre and held out a bag for him. "Here are your clothes, Dre. Come on, hurry up and change." Dre stepped up to take the bag from her then took a step back. She noticed the jacket on the ground. "Dre?" The boy looked up at her. "Pick up your jacket!"


	5. Chapter 5

Meiling agreed to meet them there so she could get changed. Once they got through the gates, Mrs. Parker marveled at the setup. "You were right, Miss Miyagi. There are a lot of people here."

"Chinese Valentine's day." Mr. Han sounded uncomfortable.

"Wow. This is beautiful!" Mrs. Parker said as they entered a more decorated part of the festival.

"Yeah. Mom?" Dre seemed anxious.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go get something to eat, and then I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Be back right here in 20 minutes."

Mrs. Parker looked at her son for a moment and then agreed. As Dre took off she asked, "So, what's the origin of this festival again? I know everything you do here has a meaning."

"There's a Shadow Theater that tells the tale of the Zi Xi festival. It's over in that direction," Meiling said pointing in the same direction that Dre had gone.

Mrs. Parker smiled and took Meiling's arm to pull her along. They reached the Shadow Theater and they walked inside. "So do either of you have any kids?"

Meiling shook her head and Mr. Han replied, "No."

Mrs. Parker was determined to start a conversation. "Well, how's Dre doing?"

"Xiao Dre is making progress," Mr. Han said as they walked to some open seats.

"Xiao Dre?"

"Chinese for "little,"" Meiling said as they sat.

Mrs. Parker chuckled and turned to Mr. Han. "So how many students do you have?"

"Including Xiao Dre?" Mrs. Parker nodded. "Two."

"Who is your other student?"

"Meiling."

Mrs. Parker nodded and the gong rang to begin the play. "So, what's this show about?"

Mr. Han looked uncomfortable and turned to Meiling to explain. "It's the story about the Goddess and the boy she loves." The figures played across the screen and Meiling told the story as it played out. At the end of it, two shadows met in a kiss in front of the light. "That's new," Meiling muttered under her breath.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Dre entered Mr. Han's home with a "What up, Mr. Han?"

Mr. Han lowered his welding mask and looked at him. "Did I say 'come in'?"

"I think you did. I mean..." Dre sighed and walked back to the entrance. "Mr. Han, can I please come in?"

"Yes," Mr. Han said replacing his mask.

Dre entered again. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Same."

Dre looked around. "Where's Mei?"

"Shopping. Get to work."

Dre sighed and took off his jacket from around his waist. By midday the darker rain clouds had lifted and the sun was shining onto the courtyard. Dre was going through his routine when Mr. Han came out to grab some water from the well.

As he sat in the shade, Dre spoke. "You know, Mr. Han, I told you. I get it, okay? Be respectful. I got it. I put my jacket on a thousand times, I took it off a thousand times!" Dre threw his jacket to the ground if frustration. "Okay? This is stupid! I'm done. "They can beat me up if they want to." he picked up his jacket and turned to leave. Turning back he added, "And you know why you only have two students? 'Cause you don't know kung fu."

As he was leaving, Mr. Han called him back. "Xiao Dre!"

"What!" Dre turned to look at him.

Mr. Han stood and pointed before him. "Come here." Dre complied. "Jacket on."

"Mr. Han, I already..."

"Jacket on!" Mr. Han's tone was stern Meiling entered through the door. She stopped to watch through the door way. As Dre went to put on his jacket, Mr. Han took it away from him. "Jacket on."

"I don't have a jacket now."

"Jacket on," Mr. Han and Meiling said together.

Dre looked to Mei then back to his teacher. Sighing he mimed putting on his jacket. Mr. Han stopped his arm and positioned it. "Be strong." Dre watched as he tapped the muscles into memory position. "Jacket on." The move was continued when Mr. Han stopped his other arm. "Firm. Jacket off." He tried to move Dre's arm. "Remember, always strong. Jacket off." Another arm stopped. "Strong. Left foot back." The move was countered. "Right foot back. Left foot back! Pick up your jacket!" Mr. Han kicked over Dre's head.

Coming back up, Dre looked amazed. Before he could say anything Meiling yelled at him. "Focus!"

"Okay!" Dre returned his concentration to Mr. Han.

"Always concentrate," Mr. Han chided. "Left back. Right foot back! Pick up your jacket!" another kick was dodged and Mr. Han pointed at him. "Stay." He turned and picked up Dre's jacket throwing it on the ground between them. "Pick up your jacket."

Dre went to do as he was told, unknowingly blocking a kick from Mr. Han. Mr. Han took his hands and tapped them hard. "Be strong. Hang it up." He showed the move and tapped them again. "Hang it up! Hang it up. And attitude."

The two fought across the court yard until Mr. Han grabbed Dre by the shoulders and held him still. Both Breathing heavily, Mr. Han spoke. "Kung fu lives in everything we do, Xiao Dre. It lives in how we put on a jacket, how we take off the jacket. And lives in how we treat people. Everything is kung fu."

Mr. Han entered the house with Mei and Dre was left outside. "I think he's growing on you," Meiling teased.

Mr. Han harumphed and returned to his car. Meiling set out upon her task of putting food and parts away with a smile plastered on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

Three days later had the trio riding through the country side on the train. Dre and Mr. Han on one side, Meiling in front of them. About half way thought the ride, Dre turned to Mr. Han and asked, "So, why didn't we take the Scirocco?"

"I don't drive the Scirocco," Mr. Han said blandly.

"Do you have a licence?"

"Yes."

"So you have a licence and a car and were on a train?"

"Please be quiet."

"I'm just saying. Seems like we could have saved a lot of money. Don't you think?"

Mr. Han sighed. "Do you always ask this many questions?"

"I'm sorry," Dre said offhandedly, looking out the window to watch the scenery pass by. It did not grab his attention for long. "So what are we learning today?"

Mr. Han lifted his head from the back of his seat before he leaned over Dre to reach the window. "Chi," he said drawing it out. "Internal energy. The essence of life. It moves inside of us, it flows through our bodies. Give us power from within."

"I get it," Dre said after Mr. Han had resumed his resting pose. "Like the force in Star Wars. You're Yoda and I'm like... I'm like a Jedi."

Meiling laughed from behind them as Mr. Han looked at the young boy tiredly. A few minutes later the train stopped and the trio got off at the station. Mr. Han hailed a scooter cab and they spent the next twenty minutes on the highway simply enjoying the beauty of nature.

The cab stopped in front of an old village and they dismounted. Dre looked out onto the busy court yard. "Is this where you learned kung fu?"

"Yes," Mr. Han said tiredly as they descended the steps to the courtyard. "Everything good about me was born here. Xiao Dre, you can leave your backpack and skateboard here." Mr. Han pointed to the edge of the stairs. Meiling left her basket with Dre's things and they continued over the river.

"So where are we going?" Dre was genuinely curious.

"We journey to the top of the mountain," Meiling said mysteriously. "And drink from the Dragon Well."

"Dragon Well. It's probably closer than it is looking at it. Right?"

The adults said nothing but kept walking. The stone stairs cut from the mountain led their path. Half way up Dre called to his teachers. "Are we there yet?"

"Soon."

"How do you say water in Chinese?"

"Shui."

"I need some shui," Dre said calmly. A few stories later Dre said, "I'm really thirsty." he collapsed onto the hand rail. "I'm thirsty, Mr. Han."

"Water on top of the mountain," Mr. Han said as he continued up the steps.

Finally, the trio reached the temple village and training ground. Mr. Han led them through masters as they practiced their arts. Dre came upon a woman practicing with a cobra and stopped to watch.

"Xiao Dre."

Dre started and looked to Meiling who had called him. She motioned for him to follow quickly. The two caught up with Mr. Han as he took off his hat. "The journey is complete."

Before them stood a pedestal well, water quietly trickling over the inner edges. Dre spoke. "Is this the Dragon Well?"

"Yes." Mr. Han walked around the well and continued. "I stood here with my father when I was your age. He told me it's magic kung fu water." Mr. Han gestured for Dre to step closer. Dre did so. "You drink, and nothing can defeat you."

Dre placed his hands on either side of the well before he thrust his head into the water to take a big drink. The adults smiled at him remembering their first similar drinks. When he surfaced, Dre breathed in deep. "It's the best water I've ever tasted."

He watched as his mentors looked around the room. "Did you see the lady with the snake?"

"Yes," Mr. Han said questioningly.

"She was doing the cobra thing. She was, like, copying the snake, and it was, like, right here." he used his hand to demonstrate. "And she was, like..." He made a face of extreme concentration as he followed his hand.

"You did not watch closely enough, Xiao Dre," Mr. Han said to him. "The snake was copying the woman."

"What? I don't get it."

Mr. Han approached the well and sighed. "Look," he said pointing to the still water. "What do you see?"

"Me. Well, my reflection."

"Yes." He drew his finger across the water. "Now what do you see?"

"It's blurry."

"Yes," Meiling said walking up to the well. "The woman was like still water. Quiet, calm."

"In here and in here," Mr. Han said pointing to Dre's head and heart. "So, the snake reflects her action, like still water."

"Like a mirror."

"Yes." Mr. Han turned to observe the room again.

"So she controlled a snake by doing nothing?"

Mr. Han turned back to him. "Being still and doing nothing are two very different things."

XXXXXX

The early afternoon was spent going back down the mountain and down to the docks. Training to tap into the chi of the environment was the lesson for the rest of the day. As Dre and Mr. Han practiced, Meiling stood in a boat tied to and adjacent dock practicing her balance.

"Mr. Han, what is Mei doing?" Dre watched as Meiling unfolded a lace fan and began dancing a traditional dance.

"She is practicing crane and tiger. Balance and swift movements. See how her face does not change. She has complete concentration and focus in her movements."

After a few moments Meiling jumped onto the very tip of the bow, balancing on only one foot and stretching her arms and other leg in front of herself. She pulled her leg in to cross over her other and jumped from the bow to the dock without tipping the boat into the water.

"Focus on what's around you and you are unstoppable," Meiling teased Dre as she pulled his dreads gently.


	8. Chapter 8

On the train ride home, Mr. Han sat between Meiling and Dre, serving as a pillow for them both. Dre's head fell to his lap and Mĕi-miào-de's hung lower to his shoulder. Feeling a little awkward as the duo got comfortable, Mr. Han took a silent breath and placed his hand gently on Dre's back.

XXXXXX

A more rigorous training regimen was implanted the next time they met. Meiling worked with Dre on his flexibility, bending his back over her knee and pushing him down into splits. Mr. Han brought him to a local drying line and placed a sheet between them.

"Mr. Han, what's going on?" His answer was a padded glove to the face.

"Anticipation."

Dre lifted the sheet to look at his teacher. "I can't..." Another hit threw him back a little bit, making him drop the sheet.

"Don't see it, feel it."

Another hit, this time to the abdomen. "Damn it, Mr. Han! I felt that one!"

A few more hits were landed and Mr. Han drew back the sheet. "Concentrate. Okay?"

"Okay. Do I get the stick now?"

Training continued over the next week: dodging, kicking, high kicking, anticipation, flexibility, strength, balance.

One night Dre came into Mr. Han's living room from the courtyard. "So, Mr. Han, what time are we training tomorrow?"

Mr. Han looked away from Meiling's waxing on his car. "Xiao Dre, we are not training tomorrow."

"Why not," Dre asked as he dabbed sweat from his face.

"Wùjíbìfan. It means 'to much something is not good.' You train a lot."

"You need rest," Meiling added as she moved onto a different spot.

"A day off?" Dre sounded like he didn't believe his ears. "Yes, Mr. Han. Yes. Xiao Dre needs to rest. Yes, Mr. Han." He grabbed his things. "You two rest, too. Love you, Mr. Han, Mei. Peace!" and he was gone.

Mr. Han looked at the door uncomfortably as Meiling just continued to wax the car. "Do you want me to let you finish by yourself?"

"Go home, Mĕi. Rest well. I will see you later."

Meiling left the rags on the hood of the car. "Xiao Dre is right. You need to rest too." she sighed and hugged her friend. "I'll stop by tomorrow night just to check on you." she pulled away and gathered her things. "Sleep," she commanded before she left.


	9. Chapter 9

The next night, Meiling found Dre about to enter Mr. Hans' domain. "Xiao Dre, wait!"

Banging could be headed from inside the home, the sounds of broken glass hitting the floor followed. Dre entered in time to see Mr. Han smashing the front end of the car with a sledge hammer. "Mr. Han!" The car received another blow. "Mr. Han!" the hammer was propped as were Dre's and Meiling's bags.

"We no train today," Mr. Han said drunkenly. He shuffled around the front end of the car as Meiling got closer to take a drink of the open bottle sitting on the counter before screwing the cap on and putting it away..

"What are you doing?"

"It's June 8th," the adults chorused. Mr. Han sat in the drivers seat as Dre looked at a paper clipping on the bent up hood. Meiling took the front passenger seat and flipped through a few pictures.

Dre looked from the paper to the front of the car, seeing that the front was misshapen exactly like the picture. Looking back to the cab, Dre moved to the passenger seat and sat on Meiling's lap. The three sat in silence.

"Why did you break the car?"

The words hung in the air for a moment before Mr. Han reached for the pictures in Meiling's hand. Holding them up he spoke. "His name was Gong Gong." The boy in the picture was slightly younger than him, round faced, and very happy. Standing along side him was a thin woman, a little older than Meiling, also very happy. "Xiao Dre, how old are you?"

"Twelve."

"He was ten." Mr. Han's voice began to break as he talked. "He was so beautiful." he handed the picture over to Dre.

"Her name was Zhang," Meiling said pointing at the woman with a wobbly voice of her own. "She was my best friend and a singer."

"Not professional," Mr. Han added. "She sang only for me and very special occasions." Mr. Han began to sing a little lullaby.

Dre picked the other pictures out of Meiling's hands and flipped through them. "What happened?"

Mr. Han took a breath. "It was a steep hill. Lots of rain. The car just... I was driving. We argue about something. I was so angry. I lost control. I try to remember. I cannot remember what we argue about. I hope it was something important. Meiling was the one who found the car first. She pull us all out, but she was to late for them. Every year, I fix the car. Still fix nothing."

Mr. Han sobbed against the steering wheel. Meiling sat in the passenger seat staring at the photos, thick tears rolling out of her eyes. Silent tears ran down Dre's face as he thought of something he could do.

Quietly Dre got out of the car and grabbed the training rods. Walking around to the drivers side, he looped the rope ends around Mr. Han's fingers and led him out of the car. After leading him out to the courtyard, Dre used a rod to move Mr. Hans' hand to his eyes. After he dried his face, Dre dropped into a practice stance and silently urged Mr. Han to do the same.

The impromptu training session began. Meiling merely watched as the boy and her friend practiced. She spotted Mrs. Parker as she entered. "They have both had a rough day it seems," Meiling commented.

"Dre said he had the day off from training."

"Mr. Han gave it to him as a reward for all his hard work. But they both seem to need this."

"I never see him so happy as when he comes home from training."

"He likes to learn what we have to teach."


	10. Chapter 10

The days following June 8th were filled with more training, even taking the weekend to train on the Great Wall at Dre's request. A bell was steadied in the courtyard for Dre. Meiling showed him how to high kick and said that he would be ready for the tournament when he could hit it three times in a row.

Mr. Han brought Dre back to the laundry line and the sheet was pulled in front of them. When Dre shoved the padded glove back to him, Mr. Han thought for a moment and walked away. When Dre lifted the sheet to see his teacher walking away, he called out, "Mr. Han!"

Scrimmage matches between Dre and his teachers were a daily thing at this point. Once Dre requested that they face each other. Mr. Han won quickly as Meiling refused to fight. "There is no point to this."

The day before the tournament the three of them went to see the set up. Dre looked around as workers vacuumed and rolled out the mats. Mr. Han broke their silence. "Win or lose, doesn't matter. Fight hard. Earn respect. Boys leave you alone."

Dre nodded and Mr. Han nodded to Meiling who took a cloth package out of her purse. "We have a present for you," she said with a little smile on her face.

Dre opened the flap and pulled out a white traditional top. "Mr. Han! Mei! Man. This is the one Bruce Lee had." the adults smiled and chuckled. "Great. Thank you."

Mr. Han nodded and turned serious. "You have taught me a very important lesson, Xiao Dre. Life will knock us down. But we can choose whether or not to get back up."

Dre looked at his gift and then back up to the pair. "You two are the best friends I ever had, guys."

A hug was given to the pair at the same time. While Meiling was used to hugs, Mr. Han seemed a little uncomfortable as well as happy. Finnally he broke the embrace. "Okay."

As they turned to leave Dre caught their attention. "Wait, um, can you help me with something?"


	11. Chapter 11

A/n: the following chapter is only in here because it was requested! I do not in any way think that Mr. Han needs a love interest, but I must bow to the requests of the people. You can skip this chapter. And yes I plucked Mr. Han's first name out of thin air. Hell, Han could be his first name for all I know, but I dont care.

The apology went well and the next day, Dre hit the bell in the courtyard three times in a row. He turned to Meiling. "Am I ready?"

She nodded and smiled. "You are ready. Go home and get changed. We will see you later."

"Sweet! Thanks Mei, I'll see you at the tournament," Dre said rushing out of Mr. Han's house.

Mr. Han flattened himself against his door way as Dre passed him quickly. "He is very excited," she said to him.

"He should be concentrating."

"He will when he needs to."

Mr. Han began to look at Meiling as she cleaned up the courtyard. Her long brown hair was tied up at the nape of her neck and her almond brown eyes were sparkling with her own a excitement and a tinge of worry. "You are very good with him," Mr. Han said to her as she put things away. "Why did you never have children?"

Meiling looked up at him and shrugged. "Never had the time or someone to give me one. Zhang was like my sister and Gong Gong was more than enough for me as my nephew."

"I remember, you used to spoil him." The two laughed at the memory of Gong Gong coming home from spending time with Meiling excited and filled with sugar.

"He deserved it. He was a good kid." Meiling sighed as she recalled some of the more crazy things she and her late nephew had done. "Doesn't matter now," she said picking up a rag to wipe her hands on. "It's in the past."

Mr. Han stopped her movements as she crossed by him. "Even your past must be dealt with, Meiling." He made her look at him. "I know you still suffer after your own husbands death."

"Jun, please don't bring him up." Meiling took a step away from him, warning the man with his first name. "He died and that's the end of it."

"You came to China to get away from his family and your memories. But you will always remember if you do not see what is in front of your face."

Meiling looked at Jun confusedly. "Why do you say this?"

Jun took the rag from her hands and took them in his. "I care about you, Meiling. I do not want you to waste your life any longer." Jun took a deep breath and pulled her in to his arms. With great hesitance, he kissed her gently.

Meiling tentatively stood in his arms, wondering in the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers in a soft caress. The kiss ended after a moment and she began to breath again. "I see now. How long have you?"

"Many years. I've prayed to the Gods for guidance. I have even asked Zhang for forgiveness and permission. I now ask that you live with me, after the tournament. I want you with me, always."

Meiling paused a moment. "I will have to think about this." Jun went to argue but she held her hand over his lips. "You may have spoken to the Gods, asked Zhang, and even come to terms with all this yourself, but I have not. I must ask myself." She stepped out of his closed embrace. "I will let you know after the tournament. Tomorrow probably." Jun only nodded as Meiling left with a short goodbye.

XXXXXX

A/n: yes it's sappy and it's crappy, but by God, I do not want to hear how bad this really is! And I am not going to be posting a follow up for this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

The apology went well and the next day, Dre hit the bell in the courtyard three times in a row. He turned to Meiling. "Am I ready?"

She nodded and smiled. "You are ready. Go home and get changed. We will see you later."

"Sweet! Thanks Mei, I'll see you at the tournament," Dre said rushing out of Mr. Han's house.

Mr. Han flattened himself against his door way as Dre passed him quickly. "He is very excited," she said to him

"He should be concentrating."

"He will when he needs to."

"Not soon enough," Mr. Han grumbled.

Meiling simply laughed at the petulant look on the older mans face. "We should go. I promised to pick up Mrs. Parker and you have to review the rule book," she said holding up a small blue book while grabbing her purse and car keys.

"Please hurry," Mr. Han pleaded. "Also, grab the jiaofa set."

"You think we'll need it?"

"I have no doubt we will."

Meiling nodded and left for the apartment building. She and Mrs. Parker hurried to the tournament, Meiling burdened with a wooden box. Mrs. Parker quickly fought her way to a seat by Dre's friends. Meiling made her way to the locker rooms and deposited the box in the one that had been given to Dre and Mr. Han. She mad ether way to the tournament floor where Dre's first fight was already under way.

She walked up to Mr. Han and spoke quietly. "How is he doing?"

"He ran off the mat," Mr. Han said before Dre ran off into the other team. "Twice."

"He can still win."

"He needs to focus."

Dre pushed the other boy off of the mat and Mr. Han helped him up. The replay came over the screen above the mat had Dre making a face full of Attitude. "Good job. Next time, no face."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it."

"Okay, okay okay," Meiling pointed back to the mat. Dre returned to his opponent. "Next point wins the match."

Dre kicked his opponent to the ground quickly. The matches seemed to fly by until Dre faced one of the Fighting Dragons who knocked him hard on the ribs. Dre defeated him and was pulled to the side by Meiling. Mr. Han wrapped a brace around the young boy's chest as he explained. "From now on, semi-final matches. Three points to win."

"Be kinda hot if I won this thing, right," Dre asked as he rebut toned his shirt.

"Would be kinda hot if you would focus," Meiling said sternly but with a small smile.

Dre shrugged. "Yeah, well, after that."

The trio returned to the floor where the final match mat had been set up. They were shown a seat half way through the first match and waited for the next match. Dre walked up to the mat and bowed to his opponent. The officiant signaled the beginning of the match and the two began to circle eachother. Dre's opponent made the first move and Dre held up well... For the first five seconds.

Dre kicked out to his opponent who caught the leg and delivered a serious blow to it. He then kicked Dre's other leg out from under him and delivered a vast number of blows to the same spot on Dre's leg before the officiant pulled him up and declared him disqualified. Mr. Han and Meiling quickly ran onto the mat and to Dre's side. As Meiling attempted to assess the damage, Mr. Han looked to Master Li with a look that said 'is this what you teach your students.' Master Li looked un perturbed, but still heald a look of pride in his eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Meiling and Mr. Han accompanied Dre to the infermary where the tournament doctor examined the leg. He tilted it slightly and Dre gasped in pain. "Is it bad?" Mr. Han spoke to the doctor as Meiling was retrieving Mrs. Parker and Mei, a friend of Dre's.

The doctor looked seriously to Mr. Han. "He's done." He then looked to Dre. "I'm sorry, you should not continue. You've brought honor to your family."

Dre looked to Mr. Han for a translation. "Doctor says you did great." Dre looked disappointed as Mr. Han thanked the doctor and Meiling came back with Mrs. Parker and Mei.

Dre draped his arm over his head as Meiling and Mr. Han began talking to the side. Mrs. Parker and Mei took their place. "You okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Dre dejectedly reassured his mother from behind his arm. "Can you guys give us a second?"

Mrs. Parker looked surprised and a little hurt. "Yeah, okay. Sure, baby, whatever you need."

She and Mei left and Mei left and Dre turned to his teachers. "Do you think I could have won?"

Meiling smiled a little as Mr. Han leaned over him. "Win or lose doesn't matter, Xiao Dre."

"You know that's not what I mean."

Mr. Han sighed. "Yes. I think you had a good chance."

It was Dre's turn to sigh. "So lets do the fiery cup thing."

"You don't need to fight anymore," Mr. Han tried to reason. "you have proven everything you need to prove."

"What, that I can get beat up easy and then quit?" Dre looked to them. "That's not balance. Thats not real Kung fu." He pointed to Mr. Han. "You said that when life knocks you down, you could choose weather or not to get back up. Well, I'm trying to get back up, and why won't you help me?"

Mr. Han paused a moment. "Because I cannot watch you get hurt anymore."

"Please, Mr. Han. Please."

"Just tell me, Xiao Dre." Meiling leaned over Dre on his other side. "Why? Why do you need to go back out there so badly?"

Dre contemplated for a moment before he made his admittance. "Because I'm still scared. No matter what happens, tonight, when I leave, I dont want to be scared anymore."

The two teachers looked to eachother before Meiling went to retrieve the wodden box from Dre's locker that she had placed in their earlier. As she quickly performed the art and wrapped up the appendage, Mr. Han made his way to the officiants table to speak to the tournament officers.

XXXXXX

As the announcer was announcing that Dre would fight, the boy himself and Meiling walked onto the floor. Master Li looked from Dre's limping form to Mr. Han before limping off the mat mockingly and applauding in the same manner.

Dre looked to Mr. Han before he stepped onto the mat. Mr. Han nodded in encouragement and moved to stand by Meiling at the side of the mat in full view of their student.

The match begun. It was a furry of movement as Dre and Cheng fought, u till Cheng was able to kick Dre off of the mat and onto the floor mats below.

Mr. Han knelt down to Dre and made sure he was alright. Dre jumped back onto the mat and a second round began. Dre was able to get Cheng on the ground twice before the officiant called for a small timeout for Cheng.

As Master Li looked at Cheng's face, Dre looked to his teachers, one happy the other concentrated, both focused on him. The fourth round began when Cheng jumped back onto the mat. Dre faced his opponent, blocking down blows that he delivered, until Cheng delivered a kick to Dre's wounded leg. A second kick and Meiling could almost hear the bone breaking.

Dre stayed on the ground for several moments as officials asked him if he could continue. He looked to his opponent who had nothing but a sickening smug looked on his face. That would not do, Dre stood up on his uninjured leg and faced Cheng. Meiling and Mr. Han were both pleased to see that Dre hadn't given up and that Master Li held on his face a look of pure shock, as though he hadn't expected Dre to get back up.

Dre faced Cheng and let the noise of the crowds drown away as he raised his injured leg and his arms in the same fashion as he had seen the woman with the snake do at the Temple of the Dragon Well. He looked into his opponents eyes and concentrated on his own movements, balancing himself on his only leg. He waited for the officiant to begin the final round.

Master Li yelled something to Cheng who attacked. Dre spun out of the way, jumped, and let out a kick to Cheng's head on his way down, landing on his uninjured leg and the final point, winning the tournament. Dre felt the noise of the arena hit him as he saw his opponent and former bully on the ground, holding his face. He looked to his teachers who were both looking at him happily, both mouthing 'You won!'

The officiant raised Dre's hand into the air in declaration as a victor. Dre watched the replay in the screen as he landed the blow to Cheng, still in a little shock that he had won.

As the announcer carried the first place trophy to the mat, Cheng stopped him. "May I present it to him?" The announcer nodded and Cheng brought the trophy to Dre and gave it to him with a smile and a congratulatory pat on the arm. As he walked off the mat he faced Mr. Han and Meiling. He and his teammates all bowed in respect to Dre's teachers, Master Li still stood where his team had rested, still in shock.

Meiling and Mr. Han both bowed back to the group that had approached them. Meiling turned to Dre. "Let's get you checked out now. I think Cheng broke your leg."

"Chill, Mei. My leg is fine."

"Humor me. Let's go."

Dre's leg was casted shortly after they escaped the crowds and made it to the hospital. In the weeks that followed Mr. Han was aproched by the Fighting Dragons. As a group they asked him to be their new teacher. He accepted them and several others who were formerly of Master Li's school. A studio was rented and renovated with charity from the new students families. Meiling and Mr. Han taught classes for all ages, working with small groups to better teach the art of defense.

Dre kept up with his lessons, both in school and on the mats. Cheng and his group of friends quickly fought through their prejudicial training and learned that Kung fu was used to make peace with enemies. They also became fast friends with Dre. All was good.

Fin.

A/n: It's done! I wipe my hands of it.


End file.
